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By: Aubrey Sitterson

This Friday, the new WWE Studios film 12 Rounds hits theaters starring John Cena. With a new movie and a World Heavyweight Championship Match at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, Cena is at the top of his game. But the four-time World Champion's meteoric rise wasn't easy, as Cena fought long and hard to reach this rarefied air. Join us as we take a look at 12 key moments in John Cena's career - the victories and accomplishments that helped elevate him to the upper echelons of WWE Superstardom.

Working the angles - June 27, 2002

Way back in the summer of 2002, Mr. McMahon gave a speech to the up-and-coming Superstars, telling them that if they had any hope of taking a place amongst WWE's legends, then they must demonstrate "ruthless aggression." One young Superstar in particular took that message to heart: John Cena, who answered an open challenge from Kurt Angle. In Cena's debut match, he managed to kick out of the Gold Medalist's Angle Slam maneuver and even endured his opponent's dreaded ankle lock, showing early signs of his signature in-ring intensity. John Cena: Bio | Photos | Videos

Taking the grandest stage of them all - WrestleMania XX (March 14, 2004)

The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania won't be the first time Cena has faced Big Show as part of The Greatest Spectacle of Them All. In fact, during his first WrestleMania outing, Cena squared off against The World's Largest Athlete for the coveted United States Championship. Despite the 7-footer's obvious size and power advantage, Cena would not be intimidated, bringing his "ruthless aggression" as well as the wrestling skills he had honed during the past years on SmackDown. Cena tasted victory at WrestleMania XX, beginning the first of three United States Championship reigns. More on WrestleMania XX

The Champ is here - WrestleMania 21 (April 3, 2005)

The following year at WrestleMania 21, John Cena had his sights set even higher: The WWE Championship. At No Way Out, Cena had earned an opportunity to challenge JBL for his WWE Title at WrestleMania. Over the course of their rivalry, Cena lost his United States Championship to Orlando Jordan, but he refused to be discouraged. Cena went on to defeat the self-made millionaire on The Grandest Stage of Them All, earning his first World Title. Soon after, he would unveil a completely revamped title, complete with the now-iconic blinged-out spinner belt. More on WrestleMania 21

Fighting words - May 10, 2005

By 2005 the WWE Universe was well aware of John Cena's ability to drop science, courtesy of his entrance music and his notorious freestyle rapping abilities. But even the biggest Cena fans probably didn't know how legit his rhymes truly were until the then-WWE Champion's first album You Can't See Me dropped. The record debuted at No.15 on the Billboard charts and an amazing No. 3 on the rap charts. Three hit singles would come from the album: "Bad Bad Man," "Right Now," and Cena's current entrance theme, "The Time is Now," cementing The Champ's rep as a versatile performer. Buy the album

First-round draft pick - June 6, 2005

These days, the WWE Draft is handled on one night of unpredictable action, but in 2005, the random selections were spread out over four weeks of huge surprises. One of the biggest shocks came early as John Cena was the very first Superstar drafted to Raw. When the WWE Champion's name was announced, the WWE Universe went crazy, because Cena's move to Monday nights meant that not only would the show gain an immensely talented new Superstar, but that Raw would also be the new home of Cena's WWE Championship. The WWE Draft's Biggest Moments

Long live The Champ - WrestleMania 22 (April 2, 2006)

Though he had already established himself as one of the top dogs on SmackDown, when John Cena came to Raw, he had to deal with a different type of threat: The King of Kings, Triple H. Winning The Road to WrestleMania Tournament earned Triple H an opportunity to compete against Cena for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 22. Both both ring warriors would struggle to get the upper hand in this extremely evenly matched contest. Triple H grabbed the ropes to break Cena's first STF, but the second one forced The Game to tap, resulting in Cena retaining the WWE Title. More on WrestleMania 22

Tender Loving Carnage - Unforgiven (September 17, 2006)

While much of the world might think TLC means "tender loving care," the WWE Universe knows that it really stands for "Tables, Ladders and Chairs." After a heated rivalry that saw WWE Champion Edge assault John Cena's father in his own home, the two Superstars were set to compete in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match. Edge had never lost a TLC match and his opponent had never taken part in one, but Cena didn't let this lack of experience stand in his way, giving The Rated-R Superstar his first TLC loss by climbing the ladder and retrieving the WWE Title. More on Unforgiven 2006

Semper Fi - October 13, 2006

John Cena has a long-documented history of patriotism, but in 2006 he made it official by starring as a serviceman in The Marine, his first film role. Co-starring Terminator 2: Judgment Day's Robert Patrick and Nip/Tuck's Kelly Carlson, the movie is WWE Studios' most successful film to date, and served as an introduction to John Cena for many of those outside the WWE Universe. In addition to providing a high-octane, action-packed viewing experience, The Marine also served to establish John Cena as a true triple threat, a star of wrestling, rapping and even acting. Photos

Dismantling the bulldozer - New Year's Revolution (January 7, 2007)

Between April 2006 and January 2007, an unstoppable force moved through the WWE roster: Umaga. Boasting a tremendous winning streak, The Samoan Bulldozer entered into a rivalry with John Cena, with the WWE Championship at stake. Umaga had a title opportunity at New Year's Revolution, but Cena accomplished something no one else had, pinning the unstoppable Umaga and retaining his title. The two faced off again in a Last Man Standing Match at Royal Rumble, in which Cena used a ring rope to choke Umaga, earning a definitive victory. More on: New Year's Revolution 2007 | Royal Rumble 2007

Giant-slayer - Judgment Day (May 20, 2007) & One Night Stand (June 3, 2007)

2007 turned out to be a year of firsts for John Cena, as after dispatching Umaga he moved onto an even larger opponent, The Great Khali. On May 7, 2007, The Punjabi Giant used his massive size to steal Cena's WWE Title, and at Judgment Day he challenged The Champ for official possession of it. But Khali was in for a massive shock as Cena locked in the STF to force his opponent into his first-ever submission loss. Less than a month later, the two met again at One Night Stand where an Attitude Adjustment off a crane allowed Cena to give Khali his first pinfall loss. More on: Judgment Day 2007 | One Night Stand 2007

Ready to rumble - Royal Rumble (January 27, 2008)

In late 2007, John Cena suffered a torn pectoral muscle, sidelining him and necessitating that he be stripped of the WWE Title. With such a serious injury, no one expected him to return until late in 2008, but defying expectation, Cena emerged as the 30th participant in 2008's Royal Rumble Match. As Cena's familiar music played, the Madison Square Garden crowd went absolutely nuts for his shocking return. The contest came down to Cena and a dominant ring warrior he had faced in the past: Triple H, but Cena prevailed, eliminating The Game and winning his first Royal Rumble Match. More on Royal Rumble 2008

I will survive - Survivor Series (November 23, 2008)

Unfortunately, in August of 2008 John Cena suffered another injury: a herniated disc in his neck that required emergency surgery. The 12 Rounds star's recovery time was nothing short of miraculous however, as he returned to the ring a mere three months later to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho at Survivor Series. The arrogant Jericho had terrorized the WWE Universe during his title reign, but in his first match back after his surgery, John Cena managed to shut up the condescending Superstar, earning his first World Heavyweight Title in the process. More on Survivor Series 2008